toy story, up, cars, disney, steve jobs

Pixar began in 1979 as the Graphics Group, part of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm. George Lucas sold Pixar to Steve Jobs in 1986 shortly after he left Apple Computer. Jobs paid $5 million to George Lucas and put $5 million as capital into the company.

Pixar had a love-hate relationship with Disney for several years: Pixar made amazingly successful films, and Disney made a lot of money.

In 2000, Pixar moved into this location that features an enormous atrium, volleyball courts, pool, and people riding around on Razor scooters. The facility was purchased outright with profits made from Toy Story.

On January 24, 2006, Disney purchased Pixar for $7.4 billion in an all-stock deal. Steve Jobs, who owned 50.1% of the company, gained 7.1% of Disney, making him the largest single shareholder of Disney, and putting him on the board of directors.

Pixar continues to make ground-breaking animated films, and has several slated for future release.